This Christmas, Don't forget our military members

09-27-2015, 01:52 PM

Now is a great time to start planning and collecting items or cards to send to our troops overseas. There are an endless number of organizations that will put you in touch with a service member or unit who would love to hear from you, or that will accept your donation and prepare a package on your behalf. Many of our service members who are overseas do not receive mail or packages from family. Can you imagine how lonely that will be at the holidays? Even those who have regular mail and packages from family still love to hear from the rest of us that they are thought of and appreciated.

I have adopted many soldiers over the years and supported them with letters and packages year round. It is such a great feeling knowing someone had a better day because of a letter or surprise in the mail. It does not cost a lot. Many of the items they need most can be purchased in the dollar store. Using a medium flat rate box is often the cheapest way to ship if you have heavy items. Your shipping cost is not what it would cost to ship overseas. Only what it would cost to ship stateside to NY. I am including links or information to some organizations I am familiar with. Please feel free to add links to groups you have used or support as well.

If you do not feel you can afford to send a package on your own perhaps you can consider going in together with a friend or coworker. This is such a rewarding project and one close to my own heart.

Here is the address to which you can send cards to recovering soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. You do not need to wait until Christmas but please remember them at that time especially.A RECOVERING AMERICAN SOLDIER
C/O WALTER REED ARMY MEDICAL CENTER
6900 GEORGIA AVE
NW WASHINGTON DC 20307-5001

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You can also go to the USO (they have offices in the airports...or at least they have one in Tampa International Airport) to sign up to purchase toys/gifts for the children of service members. Be warned...you may have to use the internet to figure out what some of those toys are (we had no clue what umizoomi was!). You don't have to wrap the presents, just fulfill the gift list of one or two and drop them off. USO does the rest.

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FYI - you can also support the troops every time you buy stuff on amazon (or you can support your local charities, or national charities)...just use smile.amazon.com, pick a charity (example: Operation Military Matters Corp - started by 2 middle school girls to send care boxes to the troops overseas).